cam gears

[JD250]

doing a wp and tb change, also changing both cam gears. my question is, after i removed the bolt holding the left side gear on, i got a small drip of motor oil coming out of the bolt hole. also the bolt was wet with oil. but on the right side all was dry. no oil on the bolt or leaking out the bolt hole. is this normal? am i ok to install new gears.

[Mrmerlin]

OK need more info , Location,year , model, and be specific on the left and right . try using driverside and pass side

[Mrmerlin]

just from the info it sounds like there is porosity in the cam or its cracked, there should not be any oil in the bolt hole.
But really need more info as if its an early car then it has distributor drive on the driver side of the engine

[vdubr928]

Maybe someone was in that side and dipped the bolt in oil before reassembly. Could be nothing. Don't get too excited. I always dip major engine bolts in a little oil. Something an old Mercedes mechanic taught me when I was a kid.

[JD250]

it's a 1982 US928. driver side, the cam with the distributor on it. sorry about that lack of info. Thanks Jerry.

[DPW928]

Originally Posted by vdubr928

Maybe someone was in that side and dipped the bolt in oil before reassembly. Could be nothing. Don't get too excited. I always dip major engine bolts in a little oil. Something an old Mercedes mechanic taught me when I was a kid.

Agree! The oiling journal is too far back for a crack to fill the bolt hole with oil.

Dennis

[rhjames]

16V cams are known to have gear end breakage, so.....

if the oil is in fact coming from a crack in the cam itself, you might have the cam magnafluxed/checked for cracking---just to be sure.

if the oil was put on there during prior assembly, then you should have no worries.

--Russ